Page 4 of Forcing Fate (Wildheart Pack #1)

Cole

Euphoria floods my entire body as her sweet blood meets my tongue. My cock is still pulsing deep inside her tight pussy, her walls squeezing me with her own release. My wolf rumbles in satisfaction.

I can feel the mating bond take hold of us, merging our souls to become one, connecting us for eternity. A warmth settles in my chest as another wave of pleasure rolls over me.

I want to stay like this forever. Our bodies connected, our souls intertwined. No past, no future, only the present. Just us, together as one.

All too soon the pleasure fades and reality creeps back into my mind. The realization of what I’ve just done settles in as I pull my mouth away from her throat and my hand away from her face. I slip my cock out, missing her warm heat immediately.

Nora whimpers beneath me, and that’s when I start to feel it. A sharp pain rips through my chest, so painful it makes it hard to suck in a breath. I don’t understand where this agony is coming from until I look down at Nora .

Her eyes are red and swollen from crying, staring at me with so much hate and sadness. Her chest is heaving, and I can hear her heart racing. She is no longer pushing me away; now her arms lie by her sides as if she has given up fighting. She looks… broken.

The pain… it’s coming from her. I can feel what she is feeling, and right now, my mate is hurting. Both mentally and physically, I realize.

Guilt slams into me so hard, I feel like I just took a kick to my stomach. I hurt her. I hurt my mate, the one I’m supposed to protect at all costs. I look down at her and try to see the girl who is responsible for my parents’ death, but all I see is my heartbroken mate.

She squeezes her eyes shut and turns her head away from me as she starts to sob so hard her whole body shakes beneath me. Her pain is overwhelming, and all I want to do is make it stop. My wolf whines, just as desperate to help her as I am.

I slide my arm under her and pull her into my embrace. She fights me, shoving against me, but I don’t let her go. I need her close right now, and she needs me, whether she wants to or not.

Something stirs in my chest, my diaphragm starts vibrating, and a deep rumbling sound fills the air. It takes me a moment to realize what’s happening. My wolf is purring. I’m stunned. Being able to purr for your mate is rare, and I always heard that only wolves with strong bonds can do it.

Nora’s reaction to my purr is almost immediate. Her body relaxes in my hold, and her sobbing lessens. I can feel her pain disappearing. I keep purring, and she keeps calming down more and more until she goes completely limp in my arms. Her breathing evens out and her heart rate slows down .

We lie there for a few minutes, me just holding her to my chest. She curls into me, rubbing her cheek against my chest. Her hot breath fans over my skin, sending small shivers down my spine.

The forest is calm around us. An owl howls in the far distance. It seems like a peaceful night, but there is a storm brewing inside of me. Nora is my mate . It should feel wrong to even think it, but the truth is nothing has ever felt more right to me.

I don’t particularly want to move, enjoying the touch of my mate, but I need to get Nora somewhere warm and safe. I don’t want her sleeping out here without any shelter.

When I’m sure she has fallen into a deep sleep, I carefully shift our position, cradling her to my chest as I get up. She feels light in my arms, maybe a little too light, I note. I need to make sure she eats enough.

I never stop purring as I carry her through the forest and toward my home while still trying to wrap my mind around everything.

I can’t help but glance down at her every few seconds.

She looks so perfect pressed against my chest. Like she belongs there.

But how will she look at me when she wakes up?

By the time I make it to the back of my house, my thoughts are still in disarray. All I can think of is that I hurt my mate, and I have to fix it.

The light flickers on in the kitchen as I approach. A moment later, the back door opens, and Tara steps out. Her eyes go impossibly wide as she takes in Nora’s sleeping form in my arms. Tara’s gaze moves to Nora’s neck, where I marked her as mine, and she gasps .

Tara’s mouth is still hanging open as I walk past her and into the house. She closes the door behind us, and I carry Nora up the stairs and to my room. Tara doesn’t follow, and I’m glad. I don’t have the patience to explain anything to her right now.

Once I’m in my room, I lay Nora on my bed gently, careful not to wake her. Her head falls onto the pillow; her long blonde hair spreads out like a halo. I brush away some strands from her forehead, reveling in how soft her skin feels under my touch.

My wolf is content having our mate lying in our bed, but I still remember the pain I felt earlier. She was in physical pain too, and I need to figure out where she is hurt.

I start by inspecting her feet. She ran barefoot in the forest, leaving the bottoms of her feet scratched up and dirty, but that couldn’t have caused the kind of pain I felt. I move up her smooth legs, noticing a small smidge of blood on the inside of her thigh. The proof of her virginity.

I felt that she was a virgin the moment I entered her. My wolf rumbles in satisfaction, knowing that no one else had touched our mate but us. Possessiveness roars in my chest, matching my inner beast.

Reaching for the hem of her nightgown, I slowly lift it up, exposing her torso.

Anger explodes in my chest as I take in her almost naked form.

There are bruises scattered all over her stomach and ribs.

Some fresh, deep purple, others half healed, blue and yellow.

She looks like someone has been using her as a punching bag.

My wolf snarls, ready to attack whoever hurt our mate. I try to contain my anger, but my hands shake as I peel her dirty nightgown off until she is completely naked.

I make a quick trip to the bathroom where I grab a washcloth and run it under warm water. When I return to the bed, Nora hasn’t moved an inch. I gently wipe the dirt and blood off her body. When she is clean, I reach for the blanket and pull it over her.

I don’t want to leave Nora’s side, but I can hear Tara pacing in the hallway, and I know she won’t rest until I talk to her. Grabbing a pair of shorts from my drawers, I pull them on and quietly open my door to step out.

As soon as I’m in the hallway, Tara bombards me with questions. “What the hell happened? Did you purr? And why are you all scratched up?”

I don’t even know where to begin. Taking in a deep breath, I do my best to gather my thoughts.

“I was out on a run when I felt the pull toward my mate. It didn’t take me long to find her.

When I realized it was Nora, I was shocked, but I also knew right away that our bond is strong. I couldn’t fight it.”

“Okay…” Tara pauses, as if she needs a few seconds to process everything. Then she asks, “How did she react?”

“Not good. She tried to run away from me. She was going to reject me,” I say, the words heavy on my tongue. “I just couldn’t let that happen.”

I can see it in Tara’s eyes—the moment she puts it together and realizes what I have done. “You forced her to mate?” She questions in a whisper.

Shame and guilt rip through me as I nod slowly. “I know I fucked up, but I just couldn’t let her go.”

“Cole… I… don’t know what to say. ”

“There is more,” I admit. I might as well tell her everything. “After the mating bond was formed, I could feel her pain. So much of it. Physical too. I just checked her body, and she is covered in bruises. Someone has been hurting her.” Just thinking about it again has anger rising inside of me.

“We’ll find out who is responsible, and we’ll make them pay,” Tara offers, and I’m relieved she is already accepting Nora as my mate. “Everything will be okay.”

I cling to my sister’s words, hoping that she is right about this. Will everything be okay? Or will Nora hate me forever for what I’ve done to her?